This federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) totaling $226,917 provides funding to New Mexico State University (NMSU) for research on leveraging X-ray astronomical observations to study the circumgalactic medium and its role in galaxy formation.
The principal investigator's research group at NMSU will collaborate with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to train the PI and a graduate student in X-ray astronomical techniques. The project will conduct three key investigations: 1) using the eROSITA All-Sky Survey to study interactions between hot intragroup and circumgalactic gas, 2) measuring hot intracluster medium velocities in galaxy clusters and comparing to cool-phase gas flows observed via UV spectroscopy, and 3) generating mock X-ray and UV spectra from galaxy formation simulations to develop comprehensive multi-wavelength models of the circumgalactic medium. This award will build X-ray observational expertise at NMSU to support ongoing astrophysics research across the university's astronomy department.